Piano music masterpieces through the centuries

On March 20, Latvian pianist Andrejs Osokins will present the concert program “Piano Music Masterpieces Through the Centuries”. This is a conceptual dialogue between two powerful worlds: the foundations of Western European classical music and the deep spirituality of the Baltic cultural space.

The program will feature compositions by great German music masters – Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Johannes Brahms. Their works embody the monumentality of classical music, from Bach’s sacred orderliness and Beethoven’s titanic storms of passion to the wise, autumnal melancholy of Brahms’s late works.

In contrast to this trio of German geniuses, two Baltic masters will emerge – Latvian Pēteris Vasks and Lithuanian Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis. They will bring to the program a unique Nordic sensitivity to nature, a sense of space, and an aesthetic of light-infused sadness. Vasks’ philosophical “Cycle for Piano” and Čiurlionis’ preludes will serve as subtle counterpoints to the stormy narratives of the German composers.

Andrejs Osokins, a Latvian classical pianist, is a laureate of the world’s most prominent piano competitions. Critics describe him as a performer of impeccable style, praised for his deep intellect and charisma, wide palette of expression, and convincing performance of music in various styles. A. Osokins is the founder and artistic director of the annual “Osokins Freedom Festival” in Latvia, an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) in London, and a Fellow of Trinity College of Music (FTCM) in London. In 2008, the pianist was awarded the “Grand Music Award” – the highest form of state recognition in the field of music in Latvia. And in 2023, he was awarded the highest Latvian state award – the “Order of the Three Stars” – for his charitable activities and concert organization.

Among his frequent stage partners are sopranos Marina Rebeka, Inese Galante, the string ensemble “Kremerata Lettonica”, actors Chulpan Khamatova, Gundars Aboliņš, Dita Lūriņa, and others. The musician has also worked with many pianists: Paul Badura-Skoda, Christopher Elton, Michail Voskressensky, John Lill, Domenique Merlet, Arie Vardi, Bernd Goetzke, Boris Berman, Willem Brons, Rolf Hind, Dmitri Bashkirov, Stephen Kovacevic, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Volker Banfild, Jonti Solomon, and Martino Tirimo. Since 2015, A. Osokins has been a member and organizer of the piano dynasty project “Three Osokins” – this project has become one of the most important concert events on the Latvian classical music scene. In 2015, three piano virtuosos of the Osokins dynasty – brothers Andrejs and Georgijs and their father Professor Sergejs Osokins – performed together for the first time in a packed Dzintari Concert Hall in Jūrmala. The following year, their concert at the Latvian National Opera was broadcast worldwide via German online television “Klassik.TV”.

The pianist has released two solo studio albums – “Dedication” with music by Liszt and Schumann (label – “DUX Recording Producers”) and “Two Worlds”, featuring piano music by Debussy and Gershwin (label – “Prima Classic”). The latter album was nominated for the prestigious “Opus Klassik” award in four categories, including “Instrumentalist of the Year”. The musician has also released one live album “Osokins Andrejs | Pianist — Live” (label – “International Piano Forum”) and the album “Stardiving”, which features the pianist’s original piano compositions, an album with his brother and father – “The Three Osokins in Latvian Piano Music” – and “I Berzs, i Smilgas” together with mezzo-soprano Ieva Parša (both latter albums released by label “Skani”).

A. Osokins has performed in many renowned concert halls, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Grand Hall of the Berlin Konzerthaus, Frankfurt’s Alte Oper, Milan’s La Verdi, the National Concert Hall in Dublin, the Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, and Kings Place concert halls in London, among others. In 2020, he held numerous critically acclaimed online recitals, broadcast worldwide, and founded his classical music, art, and theatre festival “Osokins Freedom Festival” in Riga, Latvia. Over several years, this festival has become a large-scale and well-known event in Latvia, offering a diverse program of concerts, masterclasses, topical discussions, musician meetings, and other events. The festival initiates new collaborations, concert programs, and charity events, becoming an important cultural meeting place in Riga for both professionals and audiences.

The pianist has performed with many prestigious orchestras, including the Belgian National Orchestra, conducted by Marin Alsop, the Hallé Orchestra with Sir Mark Elder, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France with Darrell Ang, the London Philharmonic Orchestra with James Judd, and Sinfonietta Riga conducted by Normunds Šnē. A. Osokins collaborated with the Kremerata Baltica orchestra and Boian Videnoff at Frankfurt’s Alte Oper (part of Messe Frankfurt), appeared with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra and maestro Pablo Mielgo, and with the Latvian National Orchestra, conducted by Vladimir Fedoseyev, Yuri Simonov, Andris Poga, and Vassily Sinaisky.

A. Osokins is a passionate promoter of contemporary piano music. He collaborates intensively with composers to encourage the creation of new piano music. In addition to solo piano works, the pianist has premiered two piano concertos dedicated to him: Juris Karlsons’ “Symphonic Concerto” (also known as “Symphony No. 2”, 2019) and Zigmars Liepiņš’ “Piano Concerto” (2023).